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Bushbalm co-founder David Gaylord returns for his third appearance on the pod — and he brought receipts.

The brand just pulled off one of the most impressive growth runs in DTC:

70% YoY revenue growth
18,000+ waxing salon accounts (up from 2,000 in 2023)
Expanded shelf space at Ulta Beauty
Focused DTC growth (+25%) while spending less on Meta

We unpack how they’ve built a growth machine that’s lean, durable, and built on word of mouth — not channel sprawl.

For DTC brands thinking bigger than Meta ads.

Why their pro channel is the ultimate word-of-mouth flywheel
How they invest $200K+ into retail the right way
What goes into planning a product launch 2 years out
Why pulling back on Meta actually helped retention
How exclusivity (not everywhere all at once) became their moat

Who this is for: Brands navigating retail, trade marketing, or B2B scale

What to steal:

How to anchor your retail bet on ONE whale by building deep
Build demand from the pros outward
Treat your best partners like real channels (with loyalty perks + exclusive SKUs)

Timestamps

00:00 Bushbalm’s 70% growth and shift to profitability

02:30 Why retail and the pro channel now drive the business

06:20 Going deep with one key retailer instead of many

09:40 How trade marketing and in-store displays impact sales

12:30 DTC growth, Meta ads, and changing channel priorities

18:00 Launching exclusive products through the pro channel

22:00 Simplifying DTC assortments to improve performance

25:00 Category rewiring in hair removal and skincare

31:40 Expanding shelf space versus adding new retailers

37:00 Building a sustainable, profitable growth engine

Hashtags

#DTCPodcast #Bushbalm #DavidGaylord #DTC #Ecommerce #RetailStrategy #BeautyBrand #FounderJourney #RetailMarketing #ProChannel #UltaBeauty #BrandGrowth #Omnichannel

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Ep 584: Building in Pubic: Inspecting Bushbalm’s 70% Growth via Retail & the Pro Channel

DTC Podcast